The Hong Kong SAR government’s flagship corporate internship scheme for local youth has set new records this year, whether in the number of internships placements, participating companies, or applicants for the scheme.

This year's scheme collaborates with 25 large corporates, providing young Hong Kong people with hundreds of quality internship experiences on the Chinese mainland and overseas.

The positions span a diverse range of industries, including finance, innovation and technology, logistics, construction, retail, hospitality and utilities and other areas closely related to the development of Hong Kong

Around 2,500 Hong Kong youths have applied, nearly double the number from last year.

READ MORE: 1,158 mainland internships on offer for HK young people

Under the scheme, eligible post-secondary students holding a valid Hong Kong identity card can get internship opportunities for no less than six weeks between June and September.

The internship placements cover various mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Chongqing. The scheme also involves countries overseas, including Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The positions span a diverse range of industries, including finance, innovation and technology, logistics, construction, retail, hospitality and utilities and other areas closely related to the development of Hong Kong.

Participating companies will sponsor the interns' major expenses including transportation and accommodation costs.

Jacky Lo, who participated in the scheme at Tencent in Shenzhen last year, shared his feelings saying that as an intern, he needed to do many diverse jobs in a short period of time. This internship experience allowed him to think about some specific work issues and was a precious opportunity that cannot be learned from books in school.

Officiating at this year’s launching ceremony, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that the HKSAR government has always invested a lot in youth work

Lo also noted Shenzhen’s working environment is more focused on efficiency and problem solving. Hong Kong companies are more internationalized and pay more attention to details and professionalism. He said he will absorb the strengths of both places in his future studies and work to achieve better results.

READ MORE: 1,400 students apply for corporate internship program

Launched in 2018, the Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas has benefited over 700 Hong Kong youths.  

Officiating at this year’s launching ceremony, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that the HKSAR government has always invested a lot in youth work.

The Youth Development Blueprint launched two years ago has rolled out more than 200 measures to support the diverse development of local youth in various aspects such as campus education, exchange internships, and entrepreneurship and employment.

Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com